TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Offensive juggernaut.
That’s what the Mississippi State football offense was the last two weeks in wins against Samford and Texas A&M. The Bulldogs totaled 1,243 yards (626 passing, 617 rushing) and scored 91 points.
But MSU football coach Dan Mullen knew his team was going to face a different challenge against the Southeastern Conference’s top defense in the Southeastern Conference.
Top-ranked Alabama showed why its defense is ranked second in the nation Saturday with a 51-3 victory against MSU at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
“We just didn’t execute,” MSU junior wide receiver Donald Gray said. “We talked about that all week, and we knew that was going to be a big part of the game. We just came up short.”
The Bulldogs, who had 274 yards of offense, moved from their 25-yard line to the Crimson Tide 34 on a 41-yard Nick Fitzgerald pass to Gray. Aeris Williams then ran for 4 yards, but Fitzgerald lost a yard on a rush and then picked up a yard on third down. Westin Graves then missed a 47-yard field goal and left MSU (4-6, 2-4 SEC) trailing 10-0 with 5 minutes, 27 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
MSU started its next drive at the Alabama 38 after Jamoral Graham intercepted a pass by Jalen Hurts. But MSU turned the ball over on downs, as passes by Fitzgerald on third and fourth down were incomplete.
“I think we had five dropped passes in the first half, and that’s not good when you’re playing a good defense,” Mullen said. “It’s not good when you’re playing a bad defense, but when you’re playing a great defense you can’t do those things.”
Fitzgerald was 10 of 33 for 145 yards and interception. Fitzgerald said he talked with Mullen on the sideline in between every series about corrections that needed to be made and the positives to take away from each drive.
Fitzgerald, who had 15 yards rushing, said they didn’t make the plays when they needed to.
“Some passes were off, there were some drops, some missed reads, and some holes that didn’t get hit,” Fitzgerald said. “They’re a phenomenal defense, but there were plays on our part we didn’t make. That’s the game of football.”
Graves made a 47-yard field goal on MSU’s first drive of the second half.
Alabama coach Nick Saban said Fitzgerald is a good runner and was pleased with how his defense contained him.
“I know they nickeled and dimed us a little bit and there were some third downs that we would’ve liked to get off the field, but I was pleased with the way our defense handled Mississippi State,” Saban said.
Sophomore Aeris Williams had a team-high 56 yards rushing on 11 carries.
Fitzgerald was sacked two twice, but he was knocked down numerous times as Alabama’s defensive front was a constant presence in MSU’s backfield. Fitzgerald gave way to backup quarterback Damian Williams in the fourth quarter.
Alabama (10-0, 7-0) had eight tackles for loss. Ryan Anderson and Tim Williams had two. Reuben Foster, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Rashaan Evans, and Dalvin Tomlinson had six tackles.
Although MSU didn’t take advantage of opportunities, Gray credited Alabama’s defense for throwing MSU’s offense off its game.
“I have to give credit where credit is due and they were in good position,” Gray said. “The DBs were pretty fast and they had closing speed, so when they got beat, it was easy for them to make it up.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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